


Gentle Acclimation (Dreamswap)

by OneBizarreKai



Category: Undertale (Fandom), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Characters are portrayed as human, Dreamswap - AU, Haphephobia, M/M, Short Story, cross is just really gay I guess, error has a bad past that he doesn't remember, speculated past rape, this is wholesome don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 10:12:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17640818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneBizarreKai/pseuds/OneBizarreKai
Summary: Asking a roommate for some help with overcoming your fear of touch is kinda gay, isn't it?





	Gentle Acclimation (Dreamswap)

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little something that's been sitting around in my files for a while that I never finished until now.

Cross never considered himself and Error as particularly close as they could have been.  
  
They were friends, for sure. Yet, something seemed to be missing. Something that Nightmare and Error seemed to have that they lacked. If Cross was going to be honest, he was almost jealous of whatever it was. Something inside him was urging him to get closer to his glitching roommate, and he wasn’t entirely sure why.  
  
Of course, that was implausible, realistically speaking. Error’s fear made it difficult to be physically close to him–he could hardly sit next to anyone on the couch and be touching shoulders with them. Cross wasn’t really sure why he had this fear, but apparently it was called haphephobia and was associated with a fear of touch.  
  
It sounded like a bizarre fear to have, until Cross looked up potential causes out of curiosity. He hadn’t asked Error why, knowing that Error had no idea due to missing most of his past memories, but seeing as how a frequent cause came up to be sexual assault, Cross found himself hoping that Error never remembered what had happened.  
  
On that note, while Cross wanted to get closer to the other, he had no idea how.  
  
He was sitting on the couch one day playing a game on his phone, when Error unexpectedly entered the room, fidgeting.  
  
“Cross, can I talk to you about something a little serious?” he asked.  
  
Cross looked up at him. He looked back at his device slowly turning it off and placing it on the table in front of him. “Uh, sure. Shoot?” he replied hesitantly.  
  
“This, uh… fear I have,” Error started, looking down for a moment. “I really need to get over it. I don’t even know why I have it.” He fumbled with his fingers, trailing off slightly. “I’m getting better with Nightmare, but uh… if there’s anyone else I trust, it’s you. Y’know?”  
  
Cross bit his lip. For some reason, a bit of heat rose to his face. “S…sure? What do I do?”  
  
“… Not much, I guess?” Error responded. He walked to the other side of Cross, sitting down next to him with a huff of air. “Well, uh… right now…”  
  
Error looked down at the fingerless gloves on his hands. With a steady exhale, he slowly pulled them off. Cross watched him intently.  
  
“You… don’t have to make it a big deal,” Error said.  
  
“But it sort of is, isn’t it?” Cross asked him.  
  
Error let out a bit of a whine, which prompted corner of Cross’s mouth to twitch up. Error looked at Cross’s hands, still fidgeting occasionally.  
  
“… How do I make this not weird?” Error asked.  
  
“I dunno, don’t think about it?” Cross suggested. He lifted one of his hands, extending it slightly towards Error, palm up. Error lifted his own hand, trying to contain its mild quivering. Blowing air out slowly, he placed it on Cross’s. Slowly, his fingers curled against Cross’s hand.  
  
Cross felt something in him jump as Error’s hand touched his so tenderly. What exactly was happening here?  
  
Error barely jolted as he felt Cross’s fingers curl up against his own.  
  
“S-sorry,” Cross stammered.  
  
“N-no, you’re fine,” Error insisted. He slowly moved his hand forward, curling his fingers around Cross’s palm, watching carefully, as was Cross. “I’m not glitching.”  
  
They were both breathing steadily, their gazes slowly moving from their hands to each other’s eyes. Cross’s expression shifted into a warm smile. He felt surprisingly content; much more content than he would have expected from something as small as Error touching him in such a simple way.  
  
Error’s head was tilted down, looking up and down between their hands and Cross’s eyes. A look of wonder traced his gaze, mouth slightly open in their stillness. He watched as Cross lifted up another hand, pursing his lips. Error placed his free hand in it more quickly than before, a small smile appearing on his own face.  
  
“… This is okay?” Cross asked him.  
  
“… It doesn’t feel like burning, that’s for sure,” Error told him. “… Just uh, warm, I guess.”  
  
“Well, I’d hope so, seeing as how bodies are supposed to radiate warmth,” Cross replied with a bit of a laugh.  
  
The smile remained on Cross’s face. He was certain that Error could see the light that had probably appeared in his eyes, but he was far from expending attention on that. Their eyes were fixed on each other now.  
  
Cross leaned in just an inch, only subconsciously. A smile twitched on Error’s face, his brow furrowing slightly.  
  
“Uh, I–” he stammered, looking down. “Now what.”  
  
“I’d really like to hug you right now, but I don’t know if you’d like that,” Cross told him, somewhat as a joke.  
  
Error emitted a sheepish laugh. “N…not yet, I guess.” He withdrew his hand, biting his lip. “I’ll, um… thanks.”  
  
He stood up, quickly exiting the room. Cross whirled around on the couch, watching Error leave back where he came from.  
  
Had Cross done something wrong?  
  
He let out a huff of air, sinking his weight back into the cushions of the couch. Maybe it was just his imagination. Error had made progress, right?  
  
What the _hell_ was that thing Cross felt, though?  
  
“Wow, that was really gay.”  
  
Cross jolted, his head whipping in the direction that the voice had come from. Nightmare was leaning on the nearby kitchen counter, head rested in his hand.  
  
“I’m sorry–what?” Cross asked, blinking hard.  
  
“You know,” Nightmare started, bending over the counter and sliding his arms down the top of it, “I can sense feelings, and I’m gay, and that gives me a really refined gaydar.”  
  
“ _What_?” Cross repeated, growing even more confused.  
  
Nightmare rolled his eyes, standing upright and leaving through the nearest doorway with a shrug.  
  
Cross stumbled off the couch. “Hey, come back here!” he declared, storming through the kitchen after him.


End file.
